


I'll make it through the rain I'll stand up once again

by Bkwerm



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pneumonia, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:14:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24694336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bkwerm/pseuds/Bkwerm
Summary: David comes down with a severe cold while Patrick is out of town and doesn't take proper care of himself.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 12
Kudos: 128





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title is a Mariah Carey lyric from the song Through the Rain

Stevie sat beside her best friend and watched as his head tossed back and forth on the pillow. David was delirious with a fever of 40 degrees C. An oxygen mask was placed over his mouth to help him breathe and an IV drip had been set up to administer fluids that helped with dehydration. The doctor had diagnosed David with a bad case of pneumonia as well as a concussion from hitting his head at the store. Stevie had never felt so scared in her entire life. When she had found David on the floor of Rose Apothecary, she’d thought he was dead. How would she have broken the news to his husband? What would she have done if David had died? Stevie and David had become family and she just couldn’t fathom a life without him.

Stevie was interrupted from her thoughts by the arrival of Patrick. “S-Stevie?” he stuttered.

“Patrick! Oh my God, you’re here!” Stevie sprang from the chair and rushed over to give him a hug. He returned it weakly before pulling back and looking over at his husband.

“H-how is he?”

“Not good. He has a high fever, caused by a severe case of pneumonia, and a concussion,” Stevie replied. Patrick paled and felt his knees buckle. Stevie caught him as he fell. “Come sit down.”

Patrick nodded and allowed Stevie to lead him over to the chair she had been sitting in moments before. He was still in the suit he’d worn for the tax seminar, his tie undone and jacket rumpled. Patrick’s eyes were bloodshot and heavy bags hung from his lower lids. “You look like Hell,” Stevie murmured, as she helped Patrick lower himself into the chair.

“Gee, thanks,” Patrick mumbled sarcastically. He reached for David’s hand and squeezed it gently. “Hey baby,” he whispered.

David’s eyes fluttered open and he turned his head to look at his husband. His mouth was obscured by the oxygen mask, but Patrick could see David’s eyes crinkle as he smiled. “Mm, Patrick…,” he rasped, before his eyes slipped closed once again.

“He’s woken up every half an hour, but he’s been delirious every time. I don’t think he even knows where he is right now,” Stevie said. Patrick looked up at her and frowned.

“How did this happen?” he asked. 

“Well…” Stevie began…

**Three Days Earlier**

David felt horrible: he’d woken up that morning with a stuffy nose and sore throat. Unfortunately, Patrick was out of town for the week at a tax seminar, so David had to open the store. Sighing, he sat up slowly and swung his legs over the side of the bed. David stood up slowly and ambled over to the bathroom for a steaming shower, hoping it would help loosen whatever was clogging his nose.

After he’d showered and completed his skincare routine, David returned to the bedroom to get dressed. He selected his favorite black skinny jeans and a black Givenchy sweater and finished getting ready for the day. Normally after getting dressed, David would eat breakfast. But that morning, the thought of breakfast was repugnant to him. His throat felt raw and David didn’t think he’d be able to swallow anything without considerable pain. So instead, he decided to head over to Rose Apothecary early and do some inventory.

Around lunchtime, Stevie headed over to the café to grab lunch. Roland had been bugging her all morning and she needed to get away from the motel for an hour or so. After she received her order, Stevie thanked Twyla and headed to Rose Apothecary to see if David wanted to join her for lunch.

When she arrived, David was nowhere to be seen. “David? Are you here?” she called.

“Hey,” he said behind her. Stevie twirled around to face her best friend, her smile faltering.

“Hey… are you okay? You look like death.”

“I hab a cold,” David replied. “And my throat hurts.”

“Then why the fuck are you working?” Stevie exclaimed incredulously.

“Because Patrig isn’t here, so I can’t close the store.”

“But David…”

“Stevie, I’b fine. It’s just a cold. Besides, I’ll go crazy at hobe by myself,” David interrupted.

Stevie shook her head disapprovingly. “If you’re sure…”

“I’b sure.”

“Okay. Well, I brought lunch. Are you hungry?”

David nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t eat breakfast.”

“You didn’t eat breakfast? That’s not like you… Are you sure it’s just a cold?”

“Yes, Stevie. My throat just hurt really bad, that’s all. It feels better now.”

Stevie sighed and reached in the to-go bag to pull out a hamburger, which she then handed to David.

“Thanks.”

“Yep,” Stevie replied, as she reached back in for her own burger. David went over and flipped the open sign to closed and then the two friends went to sit in the backroom to eat their lunch.

Stevie took a big bite out of her burger and watched David grimace in pain as he swallowed. She shook her head at his stupidity. If he wasn’t better in the morning, Stevie was going to make him take the day off. She knew Patrick would be upset if he knew David was pushing himself too hard.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David gets worse

That evening, David returned home and went straight to bed, not bothering to take off his clothes. Soon, however, David realized he wasn’t going to be able to sleep. His throat still hurt, and he couldn’t breathe through his mouth. On top of that, David hadn’t been alone in bed for more than one night since before he and Patrick had gotten married. Their bed felt empty without his husband and David wished desperately that Patrick were there beside him. David reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his phone. Patrick picked up on the first ring.

“Hey baby.”

“Hey Patrig. How’s the seminar going?” David asked, trying to keep his tone light.

“It’s fine. Jeez, you sound terrible! Why didn’t you close the store today?” Patrick asked in concern.

“Uh… what are you talking about? I’b fine,” David replied.

“Uh huh… Stevie texted me this afternoon, David. If you aren’t feeling well, you shouldn’t be working!”

“Stevie is overreacting. I’b okay. Besides, we can’t afford to close the store.”

Patrick sighed. “David, we can afford to close the store for one day. You’re sick.”

“Patrick…”

“David…”

“Seriously, you need to stob worrying so buch,” David chastised.

“Apparently I do need to worry because my husband is being an idiot…”

David winced. “That’s not bery nice…”

“Sorry. I just don’t want you to push yourself too hard, David. But I know how stubborn you are, so I’m not gonna keep trying to talk you out of it. If you are going to open the store tomorrow though, maybe you should go to bed early…”

“I tried. Can’t sleep.”

“Well try harder. And please promise me you’ll close the store tomorrow if you don’t feel better?” Patrick pleaded.

“Okay…” David replied noncommittally. “I love you.”

“I love you too, baby. Sleep well.”

* * *

The next morning, David woke up feeling even worse than before. He’d developed a cough overnight and he’d slept fitfully. David knew he should close the store today like Patrick asked, but the thought of lying around in bed all day without anyone to keep him company just made him feel depressed. So, going against his better judgement, David got out of bed to start the day.

Stevie couldn’t shake the sense of uneasiness that had settled in her stomach that morning. She had called Patrick yesterday to let him know David was sick and he’d texted her later that night asking that she check in on David. Patrick told her he’d tried to convince his husband to close the store, but David was being stubborn. So, during her lunch break, Stevie set off once again for Rose Apothecary.

When she arrived, she found David on a step ladder in the back of the store, restocking one of the shelves. Stevie watched as David finished and stepped down slowly before a coughing fit began to wrack his stocky frame. Grabbing the handle of the ladder in front of him, David bent over as the coughs rattled through him and Stevie rushed forward to place a comforting hand on his back. As his cough began to subside, Stevie helped him stand upright and guided him to the back room. She forced him into a seated position and stepped back, placing her hands on her hips. “What the fuck, David?”

David looked up at his best friend and shrank under her withering gaze. “H-hey Stevie…”

“David, you sound even worse than yesterday! Why didn’t you stay home today?”

“I thought about it… but it’s… it’s lonely at my house… This is the longest Patrig and I hab been apart since before we got married…”

Stevie’s expression softened. “Oh David, you could have called me and I would have come over!”

“But the motel…”

“Roland can watch the motel for one day. Think of it this way: if you’re sick, you could get one of your customers sick and that would be very bad for business.”

“I guess…” David replied, though he knew Stevie was right.

“Yeah. So why don’t you close the store and we can go over to the café to get some soup? And then I’ll go home with you.”

David sighed. “Okay, Stevie,” he acquiesced.

* * *

They arrived at the Brewer-Rose house 30 minutes later. Stevie drove while David dozed in the passenger seat. “David? Wake up. We’re at your house,” she said quietly, shaking the man beside her on the shoulder. David startled awake and looked at his best friend blearily.

“Huh?”

“We’re at your house,” Stevie repeated.

“Oh, okay…” David yawned and opened the passenger side door. As soon as his feet hit the pavement, another coughing fit began to rattle through him. Stevie rushed around the car and crouched down until she was eye level with David.

“Fuck, are you okay?”

“I’m *cough* fine…” David wheezed, gasping for air.

“Well you don’t sound fine,” Stevie replied concernedly. She rubbed slow circles on David’s back as he coughed. When it began to subside, Stevie helped him stand up out of the car and shut the door behind him. David stumbled a little, and Stevie wrapped a supportive arm around his waist and helped him into the house. “Okay, how about you go sit on the couch and I will go reheat the soup?”

David nodded in agreement and allowed Stevie to lead him over to the couch. He collapsed into the cushions and laid down, pulling his knees up to his chest. Stevie headed to the kitchen to heat up the soup, but when she returned, David had passed out. She exhaled in exasperation and pulled an afghan from the back of the couch and laid it over him. Then Stevie sat down and grabbed a book from the coffee table to read.

About fifteen minutes into David’s nap, his phone started to buzz. Stevie carefully extracted the phone from his pocket and answered without looking at who was calling. “Hello, David Rose’s phone,” she said.

“Stevie? Why are you answering David’s phone?” Patrick asked.

“Oh, hey Patrick. Well because your dumbass husband went into the store today, even though he felt worse, and I made him come home. He fell asleep 10 or 15 minutes ago,” Stevie whispered.

Patrick inhaled sharply. “Damn it, David,” he mumbled under his breath. “How bad is he?”

“He has a really bad cough now and his throat still hurts. And he looks like he hasn’t slept in years,” Stevie explained. “The only way I was able to get him to come home was by pointing out he didn’t want to get customers sick.”

“Shit. Do you think I need to come home?”

Stevie thought for a moment before answering. “Nah. David told me the seminar you were at was important. I can hang out with him today and check up on him in the morning,” Stevie replied.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out, Stevie,” Patrick said.

“It’s fine. I’ll call you if he gets worse.”

“Okay. Thank you, Stevie. Can you let him know I called?”

“Yup. Talk to you later, Patrick.”

“Bye Stevie.”

The two friends hung up and Stevie placed David’s phone on the coffee table. She glanced over to her best friend and noticed that David’s brow was furrowed, and his breathing was shallow. She reached forward and placed a hand on David’s forehead. His skin was cool and clammy, but it didn’t appear as though he had a fever. Stevie sat back and sighed. What a fucking dumb ass…

* * *

Stevie returned home later that evening after making sure David ate something and was tucked in bed. She made him promise to stay in bed the next day and close the store. “I mean it, David. If you keep pushing yourself like this, it isn’t going to end well.”

“Ugh. Yes mom,” David groaned. Stevie shoved him lightly on the arm.

“Don’t be a dick. I’m just trying to look out for you. Okay, get some sleep.” Stevie leaned forward and kissed David on the cheek. Then she left the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

The next morning, David woke up around 10:00 in the morning. When he saw the time, he immediately went into panic mode and sprang up out of bed. He hurried through his morning routine, stopping halfway through to cough up a lung, and then went downstairs to make some tea. He was about to leave the house when he remembered he’d promised Stevie he’d stay home. David looked around at his empty house and took a deep, shuddering breath. He did NOT want to stay in the house today, so against his better judgement, David continued to work. Unbeknownst to him, Stevie had texted Twyla that morning asking her to let her know if she saw David’s car in front of Rose Apothecary.

David arrived at the store 20 minutes later and got to work on opening procedures. He was in the middle of putting the drawer in the cash register when a sudden wave of dizziness washed through him. David gripped the edge of the check out counter to steady himself and stood there until the dizzy spell passed. “That was weird…” He murmured to himself. He finished with the register and started walking around towards the door to the store when he was overcome with another wave of dizziness. His chest suddenly felt tight and his breath became uneven. Stars danced in front of his eyes and the edges of his vision darkened. David felt the ground tilt beneath him, and he was falling to the floor. Before he could throw his arms out to catch himself, David struck his head on the counter and knew no more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stevie finds David. Patrick hears more about David's condition

Stevie marched out to her car in irritation. Twyla had just texted her saying she’d seen David pulling up to the store. “Why doesn’t he ever listen to me?” Stevie grumbled, as she unlocked her car and climbed inside.

When she arrived at Rose Apothecary 15 minutes later, Stevie parked behind David’s car and clambered out. She frowned when she saw that the sign on the door still read “closed” and she felt the hairs on her arms rise in apprehension. Stevie reached the door to the store and reached for the handle; it was locked. “Damn it!” She cupped her hands around her eyes and peered into the store. What she saw next made Stevie’s blood run cold.

David lay unmoving on the floor by the register, blood pooling beneath his head. Stevie began throwing her shoulder against the door in alarm. “Damn it! David! David, can you hear me?” she shouted through the glass. After what seemed an eternity, Stevie finally managed to slam open the door and ran to her best friend. She collapsed to her knees and lifted David’s head into her lap. “David? David, can you hear me?” Stevie shouted hysterically. His breathing was extremely shallow, and Stevie could hear a rattling in his chest. She tried not to panic, remembering the time she’d cut her head open when she was a kid and that head wounds bled a lot. She quickly removed the flannel around her shoulders and wrapped it tightly around David’s head. Then she grabbed her cell from her pocket and dialed 9-1-1.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

“Hi! I’m at R-Rose Apothecary in Schitt’s Creek. My friend! H-he’s hurt!” Stevie gasped, tears streaming down her face.

“Okay ma’am, I need you to take a deep breath,” the dispatcher said. When Stevie had done so, the dispatcher continued. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“I d-don’t know. I just found him here on the floor. He h-hit his head…”

“All right. Is your friend conscious?”

“N-no.”

“Is he breathing?”

“B-barely… he’s been s-sick the past few d-days,” Stevie stuttered.

“All right honey. An ambulance is on its way. Do you know CPR in case he stops breathing?”

“Y-yes…”

“Okay good. Everything is going to be all right. Would you like me to stay on the phone with you until the ambulance arrives?”

“N-no… I’m okay…”

“All right honey. The ambulance is only 5-8 minutes away.”

“Th-thank you…”

“You’re welcome.”

Stevie hung up the phone and turned her attention back to David, whose skin was deathly pale. Stevie stroked his head gently while murmuring ministrations in his ear. “Help is on its way D-David…” Suddenly, David took a shuddering breath before ceasing breathing all together. Stevie felt her heart leap to her throat and she carefully laid David’s head on the floor. Then she placed a fist on David’s diaphragm and began compressions. After counting to 30, she tilted David’s head back and placed her mouth over his, delivering 2 rescue breaths before continuing compressions. She was still giving him CPR when the ambulance arrived.

Present Time

“Shit, Stevie,” Patrick breathed after she’d finished her story. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that! Fuck, I should have left the seminar two days ago when you told me how sick he was.”

“Don’t do that to yourself, Patrick! How were we supposed to know this would happen? I just hope he’ll be okay…”

Patrick grabbed Stevie’s hand and squeezed it gratefully. “He will be. You saved his life. Th-thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if…” Patrick’s voice trailed off at the thought and he let out a choking noise. Stevie dropped to her knees and pulled him into a hug.

They were disrupted by the clearing of a throat and both Stevie and Patrick turned toward the door to find a nurse standing behind them. They stood up, Stevie lending Patrick a supporting hand, and stepped forward.

“Hello. I just stopped by to check Mr. Rose’s vitals,” she announced.

“Oh… okay,” Patrick replied. He and Stevie stepped aside so that the nurse could do her work. She looked at the heart monitor that was beeping steadily beside David’s bed and nodded, before sticking a thermometer in his mouth. After a moment, the nurse clucked disapprovingly and jammed the call button. Soon after, a doctor hurried in and rushed over to David’s bed, seeming not to notice Patrick and Stevie looking on with concern.

“What’s the problem, Hillary?” the doctor asked.

“Take a look at this, Dr. Harding,” the nurse replied, showing the doctor the thermometer reading.

The doctor, who Patrick now knew as Dr. Harding, hissed in displeasure, and began issuing instructions to the nurse.

“Is something wrong?” Patrick asked, a tremble in his voice.

Dr. Harding whipped his head around, noticing Patrick for the first time. “Oh, hello there! Uh, are you family?” the doctor asked as Hillary hurried out of the room.

Patrick nodded. “I’m his husband.”

“Ah, I see. Well, it seems that your husband has hyperpyrexia, which is a dangerously high fever. We need to try and bring his temperature down before it can cause brain damage,” Dr. Harding said.

B-brain d-damage?” Patrick stammered.

“Yes. But there’s no need for alarm just yet, Mr. Rose…”

“Brewer...”

“Sorry, Mr. Brewer. But we do need to act quickly,” Dr. Harding explained.

At that moment, Hillary returned to the room along with two more nurses and a cart holding several sponges. Together, they began packing them around David’s body, while Patrick and Stevie looked on helplessly. Patrick took a tentative step forward, but Stevie grabbed his arm. “Come on, Patrick. Let’s leave them to their work and go wait in the hall.”

Patrick reluctantly allowed Stevie to lead him out into the hallway and promptly crumpled towards the floor. Stevie caught him as he fell and a nurse, who had been passing by, rushed over to help her guide Patrick over to a chair. As soon as he was situated, Stevie sat down beside him while the nurse crouched down until she was eye level with Patrick. “Sir, are you all right?” Patrick shook his head and lurched forward, placing his head in his hands.

“His husband is very sick,” Stevie explained.

The nurse patted Patrick’s knee sympathetically. “I’m sorry sir. Can I get you anything? Maybe some water?”

Patrick shook his head.

“Okay, honey. Well if you change your mind, just come on over to the nurse’s station and someone will help you out,” the nurse replied. Stevie thanked her and watched as the nurse continued down the hallway. She turned her attention back to Patrick, who was now taking deep, shuddering breaths in an effort to quell the rising panic he felt within. Stevie wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly.

“It’s going to be okay, Patrick,” she murmured in what she hoped was a comforting tone. Just then, Dr. Harding walked out of the hospital room and looked around until his eyes landed on Patrick and Stevie.

“Mr. Brewer?”

Patrick’s head shot up, but he remained seated, not trusting his legs just yet. “How is he?”

“Well, we have placed some cooling sponges around his body, and I’ve administered some medication that helps with fever reduction. Your husband has viral pneumonia caused by a severe cold. Your friend here also told me he hasn’t been taking proper care of himself for the past few days, which would explain why he is so ill. Unfortunately, Mr. Rose also has two rib fractures which means recovery is not going to be easy.”

“Rib fractures?!”

“Yes. In some cases, extreme coughing can cause rib fracture. But I understand that you had to perform CPR?” Dr. Harding asked, directing his attention to Stevie.

Stevie’s face paled. “You-you’re saying I cr-cracked one of h-his ribs?” she asked, making a sidelong glance towards Patrick.

“Most likely. But please don’t beat yourself up over it Ms…”

“Budd.”

“Ms. Budd. If you hadn’t, Mr. Rose might not have made it. You saved his life. In the grand scheme of things, I’d say he’s incredibly lucky,” Dr. Harding replied.

Patrick patted Stevie’s arm supportively. “It’s okay Stevie. Dr. Harding is right.” He smiled reassuringly before turning his attention back to the doctor.

“As for the concussion, thankfully it is mild. He’s probably going to have a headache for the next couple days and possibly a scar where he hit his head. I’ll return in half an hour to see if his fever has gone down,” Dr. Harding continued. “Do you have any questions for me?”

“How long will he need to stay in the hospital for?” Patrick asked.

“That would depend on if he’s able to breathe without the oxygen mask and that his fever has reduced to a more manageable level. Let’s see how he does overnight, and we’ll revisit his discharge from the hospital later,” Dr. Harding replied.

“Okay. Um… that’s it for now,” Patrick mumbled. “Thank you, Dr. Harding.”

“Of course. I’m assuming you’ll want to stay the night with your husband?”

“Is that okay?”

“Certainly. I will have an orderly bring in a cot for you both,” Dr. Harding said.

“No, that’s okay. I uh… had a bad experience in a hospital when I was younger, so I’d rather go home,” Stevie replied. “Unless you need me to stay?” she added, addressing Patrick.

“No, thank you Stevie. But how will you get home?”

“I’ll give Twyla a call,” Stevie replied.

“Well, if you two don’t have any further questions, I am going to go see another patient. Please let a nurse know if you need anything, Mr. Brewer,” Dr. Harding said. He shook Patrick’s hand and headed off to see his next patient while Stevie helped Patrick stand up.

“Are you good?”

“Yeah. Thank you, Stevie. For everything.”

The two friends returned to David’s hospital room and Patrick sat back down in the chair next to David’s bed. “Do you need anything else before I go, Patrick? I could get you something to eat.”

“No thanks… I grabbed something on my way home,” Patrick replied.

“Okay. Well please call me if you need anything, all right?”

“All right.”

Stevie leaned forward to give Patrick a quick hug and stepped out into the hallway to call Twyla for a ride.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick makes some phone calls

Patrick must’ve fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, Dr. Harding and a few nurses had returned to the room and were in the process of checking David to see if his fever had gone down. Patrick straightened up in the chair and waited expectantly while the doctor and nurses did their work. When he saw the smile spread across Dr. Harding’s face, Patrick felt as though a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. Dr. Harding looked at Patrick happily. “We managed to get his fever down to 38 degrees Celsius. I’m going to go ahead and have the nurse’s remove the sponges and then someone will come back to change your husband into a dry hospital gown.”

“Okay. Thank you, Dr. Harding,” Patrick replied. The doctor nodded and left the room, accompanied by one of the nurses. The other two lingered behind to change David out of his wet hospital gown. As they worked, Patrick couldn’t help imagining David’s indignation at finding himself dressed in such an ugly gown. He shot off a quick text to Stevie asking her to bring a change of comfortable clothes for David and then went into the hallway to call David’s parents while the nurses did their job.

Johnny would probably be the calmest of the two, so Patrick brought up his father in law on his contacts list and dialed the number.

“Hello, Patrick!”

“H-hi, Mr. Rose,” Patrick said. “H-how are you?”

“I’m fine…” Johnny replied warily. “Patrick, is everything okay?”

“No… not r-really.” Patrick proceeded to tell his father in law what had happened with David. When he was finished, he heard Johnny let out a long breath.

“Moira and I will be on the first flight to Toronto tonight,” Johnny said.

“Oh-okay. Mr. Rose? I’m s-so sorry…”

“What? Patrick, son, what could you possibly be sorry about?”

“I t-told you I’d protect him before we got married…”

Johnny sighed. “Oh Patrick… this isn’t your fault. Considering how David wasn’t taking care of himself and pushing himself to hard, it’s no wonder he got so sick. Everything is going to be okay. Know how I know that?”

Patrick took a shuddering breath before answering, “No…”

“Because my son married someone who takes care of him better than anyone I know… and that includes me and his mother. David will get through this because he has you. So do not apologize. Besides… David is an adult and it isn’t your job to be with him 24/7 to make sure he’s taking care of himself.”

“Th-thank you Mr. Rose…” Patrick breathed in relief. “I can call S-Stevie and have her reserve y-you a room…”

“Not necessary. You just concentrate on taking care of yourself and my son, all right? I can handle arrangements for a place to stay.”

“Okay. L-let me know when you land?”

“Of course. See you soon, Patrick.”

“Good-bye, Mr. Rose.”

After hanging up the phone, Patrick called his parents next. His father answered on the first ring.

“Hey champ,” Clint Brewer answered. “Haven’t heard from you in a while. How’s it going? Is your seminar going all right?”

“Erm, it was great dad. But I uh… I left the seminar early,” Patrick replied wearily. His father must have sensed something was wrong because he heard Clint speaking to someone on the other end of the phone in hushed tones. Patrick assumed it was mother and he was right because a moment later, Clint announced that he was on speaker.

“Hello my sweet boy,” Marcy said.

“H-hey mom,” Patrick whimpered. Tears began to fall from his eyes for the umpteenth time that day. He was 33 years old and yet hearing his mom’s voice still made him feel like a little boy who needed his mommy to hug him and tell him everything would be okay.

“Oh Patrick, honey, whatever is the matter?”

“It’s D-David. He uh… he came down with a really bad c-cold the other day and it turned into pneumonia,” Patrick replied. “And he fainted in the store today and has a concussion.”

“Do you need us to come down there?” Clint asked.

“N-not at the m-moment, no. I j-just called David’s family. They’re on their w-way.”

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” Marcy inquired.

“N-not gr-great…”

“Oh, my sweet boy. Everything is going to be okay, sweetie! I know it.”

“Your mother is right son. You just hang in there.”

“I’ll t-try…”

While Patrick was speaking with his parents, a nurse came out and let Patrick know David was changed. Patrick took the phone away from his ear for a moment to thank her. “Hey mom and dad, I g-gotta go…”

“Okay son. Let us know if you change your mind and want us to come down there. We can be on the first flight out of here.”

“All right, I will. Th-thanks mom and dad,” Patrick replied, “I love you.”

“We love you too, sweetheart.” Patrick hung up and returned to the hospital room, feeling a little better after talking with his parents and relieved knowing David’s parents would be there in the morning.

When Patrick returned to David’s side, he was surprised to find that David was awake and lucid. “David! You’re awake!”

David lifted the mask off his face. “Hard to sleep when strangers change…your clothes,” David replied haltingly. “What h-happened?”

“You collapsed at the store and hit your head. David, you have pneumonia and a concussion. Fuck, when Stevie told me you had been taken to the hospital… God, I’ve never been more scared in my entire life!” Patrick replied.

“I d-didn’t mean to scare you,” David apologized, before dissolving into a coughing fit. He leaned forward in the bed and Patrick began rubbing soothing circles on his back while grabbing the mask and fitting it back over David’s mouth. When the coughing abated, David fell back onto the pillows and groaned, his eyes squeezing shut in agony. It felt as though he’d swallowed glass, and someone had taken a hammer to his head.

“What’s the matter? Is it your head?” Patrick asked worriedly.

All David could manage was a nod and Patrick felt his heart clench in sympathy. He grabbed the call button beside David’s bed and paged the nurse’s station. Moments later, a doctor Patrick hadn’t seen before entered the room. “Hello, I’m Dr. Smith; I’ll be taking over for Dr. Harding this evening. What seems to be the problem?” Dr. Smith asked, grabbing the chart at the foot of the bed and glancing over it quickly.

“My husband’s head hurts,” Patrick explained.

Dr. Smith nodded and David’s treatment history to make sure pain medication hadn’t been administered recently. Then he quickly checked over David’s vitals. “All right, a nurse will come by as soon as possible with something for the pain,” Dr. Smith promised. “And then I’ll be by later to check up on you later. Please let someone know if you need anything else.”

Patrick thanked the doctor and turned back to David, who now had an arm flung over his eyes to block out any light in the room. He noticed a tear trickle down David’s cheek and onto the pillow and it took every ounce of restraint Patrick had within himself not to crawl into the bed and pull David into his arms. Instead, he began stroking David’s head gently while they waited for a nurse to come give him pain medication.

* * *

Sometime during the night, David took a turn for the worse. Patrick had been lounging in the chair asleep when he heard David rasp out his name. “P-Patrick!”

Patrick startled awake and stood up quickly. “David? What is it baby?”

“C-can’t br-breathe…” David gasped, grasping at his throat in a panic. The heart monitor beside David’s bed began to increase in cadence as his anxiety intensified. Dr. Smith ran into the room and hurried over to David’s bedside.

“He can’t breathe!” Patrick explained hysterically.

“All right. It’s going to be okay.” Dr. Smith jammed the button on a speaker on the wall. “We have a code blue in room 216. Code blue!” Another doctor and two nurses rushed into the room wheeling a crash cart between them. “The patient is struggling to breathe. We’re going to need to intubate,” Dr. Smith instructed. “Mr. Brewer, I’m going to need you to leave the room.”

“But…”

“Please. Allow us to help your husband,” Dr. Smith urged. He nodded at one of the nurses, who began leading Patrick out of the room. Reluctantly, Patrick allowed her to guide him into the hallway and down into a seat.

The nurse patted his knee and assured him everything was going to be okay, before returning to the room to assist. Time seemed to slow down as he waited on someone to come update him on what was happening.

About ten minutes later, Dr. Smith came out of the room and walked over to Patrick. “Mr. Brewer? I’m sorry you had to watch that. I can only imagine how terrifying that was.”

“Is h-he okay?”

“Unfortunately, your husband wasn’t getting enough oxygen to his lungs, which was most likely caused by inflammation of the lungs, so we had to put him on a ventilator. And I’m afraid his temperature has spiked again. I am transferring him to the ICU,” Dr. Smith explained.

“What?!”

“Mr. Brewer, I will not pretend that your husband’s condition isn’t serious. But we are doing everything we can to help him, and the ICU is better equipped to address his needs.” As Dr. Smith was explaining this, the other doctor and nurses were in the process of rolling David out of his hospital room. Patrick’s eyes widened in alarm to see the tubing extending out from David’s throat and he felt nauseous. Sensing his concern, Dr. Smith placed a comforting hand on Patrick’s shoulder. “I know it looks alarming, Mr. Brewer, but the ventilator is helping your husband breathe. Why don’t I escort you to the waiting room while we get Mr. Rose situated?” Patrick nodded wordlessly and watched as his husband was rolled down the hall toward the ICU. He followed Dr. Smith to the waiting room and collapsed into a chair.

“As soon as we get Mr. Rose situated, I will come find you and update you on his condition and to discuss his care plan. Can I get you anything before I go Mr. Brewer?” Dr. Smith asked.

Patrick shook his head and Dr. Smith shot him a sympathetic smile, before heading off to the ICU.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rose's arrive

When the Rose’s arrived at the hospital the next morning, they found Patrick asleep in a chair in the ICU waiting room. He had his knees curled up into his chest and his hand tucked under his ear, propping up his head. Moira clucked her tongue in disapproval. 

“He looks absolutely disheveled, John! Do you think he had any sort of repose last night?” Moira asked her husband in a hushed tone.

“I don’t know Moira, but it certainly doesn’t look like it…” Johnny knelt forward and placed a hand on his son in law’s shoulder. “Patrick? Son?” he murmured tentatively.

Patrick jolted awake and looked about the waiting room in confusion before looking upon his in laws. “Mr. Rose! Mrs. Rose! Y-you’re here! What… what time is it?”

“It’s 9:30 in the morning,” Moira replied. “Patrick, did you slumber here all evening?”

Patrick nodded. “They uh… don’t allow overnight visitors in the ICU. But I just… I c-couldn’t leave him here all alone…”

“I see. Well Patrick, now that we’re here, maybe you should go home and get some proper rest…” Johnny replied.

“I can’t,” Patrick interrupted. “I can’t l-leave him…”

“Patrick, dear, I understand you wish to remain by your beloved’s side, but you must listen to John. It appears as if you haven’t slept in an eternity! If you don’t tend to your own needs, you will succumb to infirmity as well,” Moira argued. 

“But…”

“Patrick, Moira is right. Why don’t you let me drive you home so you can get some sleep? Moira can stay here with David,” Johnny suggested.

Patrick sighed in acquiescence. “I just… I need to see him before I go.”

“Of course, son,” Johnny agreed. “Moira and I will wait out here and I’ll take you home when you’re ready.” Patrick nodded and walked off towards David’s room while his in laws watched on with concern. His shoulders sagged with the weight of worry for his husband and he stumbled slightly from lack of sleep.

When Patrick arrived at David’s room, he placed a shaky hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath before entering. The room was smaller than the one David had been in previously and it echoed with the sounds of the heart monitor beeping steadily beside his husband’s bed. A nurse was busy checking David’s vitals and she looked up when Patrick entered. “Well good morning! Mr. Brewer I presume?”

Patrick nodded. “Yeah. Uh, David’s mom and dad are here, and they’re insisting I go home to sleep. I just…uh, wanted to see him before I left.”

“Of course. I was just finishing up!” The nurse left the room and Patrick made his way over to David’s bedside. He lowered himself into a chair and took David’s hand in his.

“Hi, baby. It’s me,” Patrick whispered, lifting David’s hand to his lips, and kissing his knuckles. He watched the rise and fall of his husband’s chest and listened to the whir of the ventilator that was helping David breathe. Patrick swiped at a tear with his free hand and pressed another kiss to David’s palm. “Your dad insists that I go home and sleep for a little. Your mother is going to stay with you for a little. I don’t know if you can even hear me, but I want you to know that I love you and I will be back as soon as I can.” He stood up and kissed David’s forehead before reluctantly leaving the room.

* * *

Over the next few days, the Rose’s and Patrick had taken turns sitting with David, and almost a week after he had been put on a ventilator, his doctors determined it was safe to remove it, as David was showing signs of being able to breathe on his own. The next day, it was Moira’s turn to sit by David’s bedside, and she was currently reading over a script for Sunrise Bay. She had just gotten to a scene in the script where Dr. Vivian Blake had woken up after being kidnapped by her evil twin, Katherine McNara, when David groaned in bed beside her. Moira frowned and set the script down on the floor, before standing and grabbing David’s hand. “David?”

David’s eyelids fluttered open softly and he turned to look at his mother.

“Mom? What are you doing here?” David croaked. When he spoke, it felt like he’d swallowed glass, and David’s hands immediately went to his throat.

Moira placed a comforting hand on her son’s shoulder. “You must try and refrain from speaking, dear,” Moira told him. “You’ve been on a ventilator for the past week and must rest those vocal cords of yours.”

“Oh,” David whispered. He closed his eyes and groaned in pain.

“David? Are you in distress?”

“Throat. Hurts,” David murmured.

“Oh dear. Remain calm! I shall locate a medic and return momentarily!” Moira exclaimed dramatically. David rolled his eyes as he watched his mother hurry from the room and fell back onto the pillows. On top of his sore throat, David felt as though someone had taken a hammer to his head. He waited for what seemed an eternity before Moira returned with Dr. Smith.

“Ah, Mr. Rose! It is wonderful to see you awake! Your mother tells me you are in pain?”

David nodded. “My throat. And my head,” he rasped.

“I see. Well, that is to be suspected. We had to intubate a few days ago after you had trouble breathing.”

“I remember,” David whispered, shuddering at the memory.

“Well, I can prescribe something for the headache, but unfortunately, the only thing that will help your throat feel better is time. I will have our speech therapist, Dr. Golding, come speak with you about what you can do to help with the healing process. In the meantime, a nurse will be by with something for your headache and to check your vitals. Do you have any questions for me?”

David shook his head.

“All right. It’s good to see you awake, Mr. Rose.” Dr. Smith left the room and David turned to look at his mother.

“Patrick?” he murmured.

“Ah yes! Well, when we arrived on Monday, the poor man was utterly exhausted and disheveled; he’d clearly not been taking care of his own needs since your admittance! However, your father managed to convince that self-negligent bridegroom of yours to return back to your abode for some much-needed repose…”

“Mother. Cliff notes version please,” David interrupted.

“Yes. Yes, of course you’d wish to see that lovely husband of yours! Well, ever since your father convinced him to get some rest, we decided to sit by your side in shifts and it was my turn! And I feel honored having been the one to sit with you when you a-“

“Mom!”

“All right! There’s no need to be rude, darling! I shall call your sweet beau tout sweet!”

“Thank you,” David replied. He closed his eyes, exhausted by his mother’s dramatics and Moira left the room to call Patrick.


End file.
